Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book combines clear explanations of the main theories of ethics with discussions of interesting examples. Topics covered include famine relief, homosexuality, and the treatment of animals. The text's versatility allows it to be widely used not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds.

New Features

Updated examples and statistics

A new section on the claims of Cultural Relativism

An expanded and improved defense of Utilitarianism

A reworking of the section on The Divine Command Theory

New material on the utilitarian basis of punishment

A revised discussion of the advantages of the Social Contract Theory

A shortened and improved discussion of Psychological Egoism, now moved into the chapter on Ethical Egoism

2.1. How Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes 2.2. Cultural Relativism 2.3. The Cultural Differences Argument 2.4. The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously 2.5. Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems 2.6. How All Cultures Have Some Values in Common 2.7. Judging a Cultural Practice to Be Undesirable 2.8. What Can Be Learned from Cultural Relativism 2.9. Back to the Five Claims

CHAPTER 3: SUBJECTIVISM IN ETHICS

3.1. The Basic Idea of Ethical Subjectivism 3.2. The Evolution of the Theory 3.3. The First Stage: Simple Subjectivism 3.4. The Second Stage: Emotivism 3.5. Are There Any Moral Facts? 3.6. Are There Proofs in Ethics? 3.7. The Question of Homosexuality

CHAPTER 4: DOES MORALITY DEPEND ON RELIGION?

4.1. The Presumed Connection Between Morality and Religion 4.2. The Divine Command Theory 4.3. The Theory of Natural Law 4.4. Religion and Particular Moral Issues

CHAPTER 5: ETHICAL EGOISM

5.1. Is There a Duty to Help Starving People? 5.2. Psychological Egoism 5.3. Three Arguments for Ethical Egoism 5.4. Three Arguments Against Ethical Egoism

7.1. The Classical Version of the Theory 7.2. Is Pleasure the Only Thing That Matters? 7.3. Are Consequences All That Matter? 7.4. Should We Be Equally Concerned for Everyone? 7.5. The Defense of Utilitarianism

CHAPTER 8: ARE THERE ABSOLUTE MORAL RULES?

8.1. Harry Truman and Elizabeth Anscombe 8.2. The Categorical Imperative 8.3. Absolute Rules and the Duty Not to Lie 8.4. Conflicts Between Rules 8.5. Another Look at Kant's Basic Idea

CHAPTER 9: KANT AND RESPECT FOR PERSONS

9.1. The Idea of Human Dignity 9.2. Retribution and Utility in the Theory of Punishment 9.3. Kant's Retributivism

CHAPTER 10: THE IDEA OF A SOCIAL CONTRACT

10.1. Hobbes's Argument 10.2. The Prisoner's Dilemma 10.3. Some Advantages of the Social Contract Theory 10.4. The Problem of Civil Disobedience 10.5. Difficulties for the Theory

CHAPTER 11: FEMINISM AND THE ETHICS OF CARE

11.1. Do Women and Men Think Differently about Ethics? 11.2. Implications for Moral Judgment 11.3. Implications for Ethical Theory

CHAPTER 12: THE ETHICS OF VIRTUE

12.1. The Ethics of Virtue and the Ethics of Right Action 12.2. The Virtues 12.3. Some Advantages of Virtue Ethics 12.4. The Problem of Incompleteness

CHAPTER 13: WHAT WOULD A SATISFACTORY MORAL THEORY BE LIKE?

13.1. Morality Without Hubris 13.2. Treating People as They Deserve and Other Motives 13.3. Multiple-Strategies Utilitarianism 13.4. The Moral Community 13.5. Justice and Fairness 13.6. Conclusion

Firmly established as the standard text for undergraduate courses in ethics, this concise, lively book combines clear explanations of the main theories of ethics with discussions of interesting examples. Topics covered include famine relief, homosexuality, and the treatment of animals. The text's versatility allows it to be widely used not only in ethical theory courses, but also in applied ethics courses of all kinds.

New Features

Updated examples and statistics

A new section on the claims of Cultural Relativism

An expanded and improved defense of Utilitarianism

A reworking of the section on The Divine Command Theory

New material on the utilitarian basis of punishment

A revised discussion of the advantages of the Social Contract Theory

A shortened and improved discussion of Psychological Egoism, now moved into the chapter on Ethical Egoism

2.1. How Different Cultures Have Different Moral Codes 2.2. Cultural Relativism 2.3. The Cultural Differences Argument 2.4. The Consequences of Taking Cultural Relativism Seriously 2.5. Why There Is Less Disagreement Than It Seems 2.6. How All Cultures Have Some Values in Common 2.7. Judging a Cultural Practice to Be Undesirable 2.8. What Can Be Learned from Cultural Relativism 2.9. Back to the Five Claims

CHAPTER 3: SUBJECTIVISM IN ETHICS

3.1. The Basic Idea of Ethical Subjectivism 3.2. The Evolution of the Theory 3.3. The First Stage: Simple Subjectivism 3.4. The Second Stage: Emotivism 3.5. Are There Any Moral Facts? 3.6. Are There Proofs in Ethics? 3.7. The Question of Homosexuality

CHAPTER 4: DOES MORALITY DEPEND ON RELIGION?

4.1. The Presumed Connection Between Morality and Religion 4.2. The Divine Command Theory 4.3. The Theory of Natural Law 4.4. Religion and Particular Moral Issues

CHAPTER 5: ETHICAL EGOISM

5.1. Is There a Duty to Help Starving People? 5.2. Psychological Egoism 5.3. Three Arguments for Ethical Egoism 5.4. Three Arguments Against Ethical Egoism

7.1. The Classical Version of the Theory 7.2. Is Pleasure the Only Thing That Matters? 7.3. Are Consequences All That Matter? 7.4. Should We Be Equally Concerned for Everyone? 7.5. The Defense of Utilitarianism

CHAPTER 8: ARE THERE ABSOLUTE MORAL RULES?

8.1. Harry Truman and Elizabeth Anscombe 8.2. The Categorical Imperative 8.3. Absolute Rules and the Duty Not to Lie 8.4. Conflicts Between Rules 8.5. Another Look at Kant's Basic Idea

CHAPTER 9: KANT AND RESPECT FOR PERSONS

9.1. The Idea of Human Dignity 9.2. Retribution and Utility in the Theory of Punishment 9.3. Kant's Retributivism

CHAPTER 10: THE IDEA OF A SOCIAL CONTRACT

10.1. Hobbes's Argument 10.2. The Prisoner's Dilemma 10.3. Some Advantages of the Social Contract Theory 10.4. The Problem of Civil Disobedience 10.5. Difficulties for the Theory

CHAPTER 11: FEMINISM AND THE ETHICS OF CARE

11.1. Do Women and Men Think Differently about Ethics? 11.2. Implications for Moral Judgment 11.3. Implications for Ethical Theory

CHAPTER 12: THE ETHICS OF VIRTUE

12.1. The Ethics of Virtue and the Ethics of Right Action 12.2. The Virtues 12.3. Some Advantages of Virtue Ethics 12.4. The Problem of Incompleteness

CHAPTER 13: WHAT WOULD A SATISFACTORY MORAL THEORY BE LIKE?

13.1. Morality Without Hubris 13.2. Treating People as They Deserve and Other Motives 13.3. Multiple-Strategies Utilitarianism 13.4. The Moral Community 13.5. Justice and Fairness 13.6. Conclusion